Monthly Archives: September 2011

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Berdoo! Man do I love your style. It’s like old racing decals from the 50s and 60s. I don’t get some of the references hidden in this gem. I see a 1, the smoke trail and the tire treads. What does the “b” stand for? Burnouts? Shouldn’t that be the name? I love me some folk art and this is right up that alley. I really like that cat character as well. All that guy needs some tire-treads behind him and you’ve got yourself a second entry. One-and-done!
Algot! Another folksy humdinger. We’ve seen this guy before right? But with this pared down colorway you’ve got yourself a….um, monster on your hands. I didn’t think this would happen with the Shadow League constraints but I like this simple “doodling in my sketchbook” style. It needs to be bigger on the hat but, one-and-done!
Eduardo! Go back to the original! I wanted to try and get a sketch on a hat!! This is fine and all but the original was totally unique. I appreciate the effort but sometimes you have to ignore the critics. Lets see another entry but in this style.

Fernando! This is a great idea for a hat. There are so many great images you could draw from for an Aztec themed cap. But I feel like this artwork is too much of a replica of the real thing. I want to see your finger prints in the design. I’ve seen hats with Aztec imagery on them, but what about taking that concept to a new place? What about mashing this glyph-style with a retro baseball vibe? Or what about creating your own glyph with modern icons like burritos, microphones, paint brushes, pencils, Clink Kong, or baseball bats? Get my meaning? You’ve got the right inspiration, let make it yours!
Ryan! Great revision. This is a great example of making something your own. Stylistically I think Ryan owns this little guy. Check out all that swagger, and from a silhouette no less. Way to go! Onto the next one.
Sean! This guy is great. Check out the amazing use of all the different elements to create a really iconic shape. It’s like the chaos of all the parts coalesces into a more simple form. Normally, I’d say ditch all the yellow detailing on the inside of the character, but it’s really working for this guy. I can tell you designed it as a one color from the beginning. Great work, one-and-done!

Welcome back Samm! And back with a vengeance I might add. Samm must know that I’m a sucker for this colorway. THe old Pads’ bean & cheese is in my top 5 all time baseball icons. And with the San Diego Zoo tie-in, one of my favorite places on the planet, Samm is really kissing-up. But his giraffe is so beautifully rendered. Look at that head, so full of character and he doesn’t even have an eye. You know what I could see us doing with this. Ditching the bean outline and just raising the hell out of the insides. Maybe the yellow of the giraffe is lighter than the orangey yellow of this hat? I’m good with where this entry is for now so get crackin’ on your next entry. But this is a weird entry and I like weird. One-and-done.
Kai! Slumber Jacks HO!!!! Rhymes with ThunderCats, get it? This is exactly what I wanted from you in a revision. Very few Clinkers are as dedicated to revisions and taking our critiques to heart like Kai is and that counts for a lot. I’d change a few things like tilting him to give him more movement and elongating those tentacles. But, like Samm, this entry is done and you’re ready to move on. Great work buddy! Done.
Paul! SUUPPPER COOL!!! Near perfect. But I’m going to nitpick. All that needs to happen is for you to bend his right arm up so that it doesn’t hit the edge of the moon. For the third time today, you’re done with this entry as is. It’s great. One-and-done!

Corey! Now this is an ambitious man. I asked for simple and man did you ever deliver. I really think you’re onto something. But it doesn’t quite read as a fish yet. What about a rear fin poking out to the side? What about a couple crescents on either side of his head to indicate gills? This guy is so simple and so full of personality I think with a few small additions you have a heavy contender here. Great work!
Algot! What a fun entry form. One of the best ever. I really like this little cactus. I know I’m always ranting about one color this and one color that, but the two color is the way to go with this guy. It’s still so simple which I love. I’m also nuts about the owl and the kid. And the hat the kid’s wearing for that matter. I would love to see both the kid and the owl on a hat. Maybe the same hat, almost like it’s a kid’s drawing. That would be artwork worth hanging on the fridge. Great job! I’m pumped to have your distinct style in the Clink mix. Oh, almost forgot- one-and-done!
Drew!! Love me some space themes. I like the concept a lot. And going for just the head is the way to go. What about this, a white filled in circle with this monkey head shape, in silhouette, cut out of it. Done. We’ll get the detail in the head with embroidery and you’ll be able to tell what it is from a mile away. What do you think?
Kick this weekend’s ass Clinkers!

Need some inspiration for your next Shadow League entry? Check out this great little feature, “Tokyo’s Top 10 Mythical Beasts” via CNBC. Need convincing? A Kirin is not just a mascot for a beer company but a badass dragon/horse. Need I say more?

Jared! This is a sweet little logo!!! I love his teardrop head! What a great touch. Again, one damn color please!! This little guy would be prefect as a one color. Simple and iconic, ugh!! Let me tell you how I’d get it down to 1. The spaceship, the beam, and the stars all become the same color, the light green. Ditch the outline around the beam. Make the space dude’s head and body the same color as the cap. Ditch that half circle at the bottom of the beam. Space dude’s body will perfectly allude to the bottom negative space of the “A”. I sooooo badly want to give you a one-and-done, Jared. But, I have to make an example of you. Lets see that spectacular revision.
Kim! I love that we have the ladies submitting! Just awesome. This colorway is sweet and I love how you left the white belly of the penguin empty, trusting your skills to get it to read as a penguin. I think you’re asking a lot of a penguin, playing baseball, in one color, to also be read as a “P”. What about just a cool penguin icon. Holding a bat like a cane and a top hat in the other hand! Tap dancing penguins, now that’s something we can all get into. You feelin’ me? Let see that epic revision. Great start!
Corey! And another mustachioed entry joins the discussion. The seersucker is a nice addition. And I like the colorway a ton. Seersucker is a good team name. I’m picturing a 20’s longshoreman type character. In full seersucker suit with a bowler hat, taped knuckles, high-waters, and suspenders. Maybe in the fighting Irish pose? Corey, unfortunately the mustache concept has to be judge on first come first served and you’ve number three. But you’ve got my theme juices flowing. Up to the challenge?

Johnnie! Wow, what a fun concept. I love the whimsy of this little guy, the play-on-words, and the way you’ve rendered him is perfect. It has a cool retro vibe that doesn’t feel contrived. Check out that star in his helmet. I’d like to see you get the concept down to a true one color design, but for the sake of getting you back to the drawing board to work on another concept, one-and-done! Way to go.
Matt! This is a bold move, simple, graphic and just what I’ve been hoping for. I’ve been really into the crescent shape lately. I think it’s under-used and you can turn it facing up (or down I guess) like you’ve done here and it really takes on a life of it’s own. I think I’d like for you to give her head a little more character. What about a plume that is lightning shaped coming out of her head? Or what about looking at the Sea Devils and how a simple eye made his face come to life? You have this powerful shape now she needs a powerful head. Amazing start.
Mariano! I really like this entry. But first let me say this, when you guys are working on your design. Ask yourself, do I need this outline? The answer should always be “No”. Mariano, why the outline? It’s so perfect without it. I’m giving you a one-and-done, for style, simplicity, a straightforward concept. No outlines!!

Hey, check this photo from NYMag’s infamous Party Lines photo series. It’s model Miles McMillan sporting Kevin’s Taco Bulls at the Alexander Wang after-party. He’s with Bee Shaffer, Anna Wintour’s daughter, no less. That Taco Bulls’ got some good company right there. There you go Kevin, you made it to Fashion Week and you didn’t have to compete in Project Runway or anything!

Jon! Help me Obi-Wan Shinobi, you’re my only hope! This guy is all kinds of badass. I love how sly he is. You’ve captured that calm before the samurai storm. I think you’re spot on with the design, but I need you to get rid of that white. Ditch it!!! Come on, you can do it! Trust yourself. Do it!
Benjamin! YES! We need more robots! maybe a robo league next, that could be cool. Bit seriously, this guy is awesome. So full of character and a great story, and looky here it’s all in one damn color. Way to go! One-and-done.
Darryl! Taking the Shadow League to it’s obvious conclusion. This really made me laugh and then I thought, what if we did the embroidery so that it looked like an Albrecht Durer study. All sinewy and detailed. The only thing I’d want would be for you to remove the wrists, and what about a little more space between a few of those fingers. Oh, what about a small green olive branch in his “mouth”. Too much or funny?

First off, I hope you had a great weekend. I was in SF over the weekend and man do I love that town. Second, we’re getting super backed up with all the entries. So I’m going to go a little faster and I ask you guys to be patient. Thanks for understanding that it takes a long time to get to all these entries and give them the attention they deserve.

Ricardo! Chameleons are one of my favorite animals. I always waned one as a kid but my parents always said no, good thing because I think they’re really hard to take care of. To the design. I really like the concept. But It’s un clear what’s going on. I think the problem is that you’ve complicated the idea. A mixed up chameleon is a great idea, but it’s a complicated one. So start with the basics. I’d use a whole body of the lizard, in profile, and then go all nuts with the tongue and the tail spiraling out of control. You also need to limit you colors to 1. That side profile will help you with that I think. Great idea, lets rethink the design strategy.
Ryan! A dachshund is such a great animal for the Shadow League. So iconic. When I first saw this design, I thought you were trying to hard. But it’s growing on me as is. It’s such an absurd looking dog and the way you’ve presented it is absurd. Perfect, right. I don’t think it reads as a “D”. I think you should just take this idea of the dachshund silhouette and make him jumping across the cap. Like the Cinci Bengals logo of the tiger jumping, but you know, a wiener dog. Pretty good right?
Efra! Man of the hour, creator of the Base Stealers. dropping his name in the Tiki bucket. I’ll admit, I think this is the best one yet. With this “T” thing, now you’ve got me thinking that I’d like to see a Tiki guy turned into an “H” for Hawaii. You feel me bruddah? One-and-done. (WIth a strongly recommended turn it into an “H” if you can.)